Improvement in straw-cutters



- U NITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I. PROTZMAN AND WILLIAM L. MGOLARNAN, OF MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA; SAID PROTZMAN ASSIGNOB TO SAID MGOLARNAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAW=CUTTERS Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,904, dated July 9, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM I. PROTZ- MAN and WILLIAM L. MQOLARNAN, of Morgantown, in the county of Monongalia and in the State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straw-Outter; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon making a part of this specification.

The nature of our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a strawcutter, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a front view of our straw-cutter.

A A represent two parallel horizontal bars, supported at their front ends by two upright standards, B B, which are connected by crossbars 0 O and bottom sill D. The rear ends of the horizontal bars A A are connected by a cross-bar, E, supported upon a central foot, E. To the cross-bar E is hinged or otherwise attached the box G, the front end of which extends to the upright standards B B, and rests upon a spiral spring, H, which is attached to the cross-bar O. I is the stationary knife, attached diagonally to the front side of the standards B B, and the movable knife J is attached horizontally to a frame, K, sliding up and down in or between said standards. From the frame K extends a presser-board, L, toward the rear into the box G, said board being slightly inclined upward, and between said presserboard and the upper cross-bar of the sliding frame is a vertical brace, M, in or to which the lever N is pivoted. One end of this lever forms the handle by which the machine is operated, and the other end is pivoted to a post or standard, O, on the side of the machine. In standards P 1?, attached to the horizontal bars A A, a suitable distance in rear of the presser-board L, is pivoted a rake, B, from the head of which extends forward a weighted arm S. This arm rests upon the presser-board L, and is, by a cord, 0, connected with the upper cross-bar (J on top of the standards B B.

When the lever N is pressed downward, forcing the front end of the box down and cutting the straw, the rake turns backward by the action of the weighted arm S until the cord 00 is straightened, when said cord will support the rake, and as the lever is raised the presserboard will raise the arm S and turn the rake forward so as to feed the straw forward. The amount of this feed is regulated by a pin, b, in the standard B limiting the upward stroke of the lever.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the hinged box G, resting on spring 'H, and provided with rake It with its weighted arm S, with the sliding frame K, knives I J, inclined resser-board L, brace M, and lever N and pin 1), all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands this 7th day of December, 1871.

' WM. I. PROTZMAN.

WM. L. MGOLARNAN. Witnesses:

JAMES P. ST. CLAIR, E. TENNANT. 

